Lask
by DragonRider25
Summary: A young boy in Battle School unites a group of very different children, despite the inner turmoil they all face. Please review!
1. Lask

Disclaimer- Ender's Game belongs to Orson Scott Card. The setting and background belong to him. The only things I own are my few original characters.

Author's Note: This is my first ever fanfic! I realize its probably pretty bad, so please R&R- only way I get better. Thanks. )

Introduction

Lask could lay on his bunk and stare at the ceiling, but the pain wouldn't go away. He could remember a time when he hadn't cared about anyone. But now he was different. Now he cared about them. Only four of them, but they changed his life so much. With a look around his small room, he noticed the piece of paper, the one that would cause him so much pain. And for the first time since he was five, Lask felt hot tears sting his eyes and run down his face.


	2. Nerin

Nerin

Nerin first remembered the streets. There could have been, probably was, something before that. But did it matter? The only thing that really mattered was survival. And that meant concentrating on what he had, not what he once may have had.

And there was little enough that the four year old did have. He had his brains, which were definitely advanced for a kid his age. He had his looks. The messy sandy-red hair and light blue eyes had won over many an adult, and that resulted in food. But the best thing he had was Lask.

Lask was his little brother, a year younger then him. They were so much alike, it was almost scary. The brains- Lask was as almost as smart as he was. The looks- almost identical. Even their personalities were similar. Both were calm, thoughtful, and liked to look over a situation before jumping in. 'Brave' wasn't on the list, but in any other place it would have been. It just didn't cross Nerin's mind that things he didn't blink at would terrify other kids his age. The things he did, they were to stay alive. When death was on the line, how hard was it to be brave?

Yes, the streets were tough. Just living was a constant occupation, something that took all the boys' efforts. But they did have each other. To Nerin, that was really all that was needed. He had someone to look after. The bright little-kid smile Lask would give him gave Nerin hope for the future. Lask gave his life meaning. After all, as he often told Lask, 'That's what big brothers are for- to protect little brothers'.

Nerin's world collapsed fairly easily. It started simply- a cough. With the dangers and troubles around him and Lask, a cough didn't really worry Nerin. They had both caught little colds before, and it _was_ winter. But soon Lask was coughing. They both continued coughing. Soon, a fever set in. Nerin began to realize something was wrong, but the two brothers didn't have any money. To see a doctor, they needed money.

So they continued trying to live. But they didn't improve at all. Nerin could see Lask get tired quickly, and the kid was always freezing. Finally, one morning Lask couldn't stand up. Nerin himself felt almost as bad, but managed to get him to a hospital. They had no money, but Lask needed help.

Nerin would always be surprised how easy it was to get Lask admitted to the hospital. But they wouldn't let him see him. Instead, they put him into a bed, made him go to sleep. At first he considered looking for his brother, but exhaustion quickly overwhelmed him, and he fell fast asleep.

When Nerin woke up, there were a nurse and a doctor in the room. They rushed around, checking this, picking up that, writing things down. Nerin lay still, just watching, for several minutes. Finally, the nurse noticed him, and tapped the doctor's shoulder. Giving the nurse a nod, the doctor came and sat on the edge of the bed. Distractedly, Nerin noticed how much room there was at the end of the bed- for all his responsibilities, he was so small. "What's your name?" was the doctor's first question. "Nerin," he replied. Keeping it simple. "You have a last name?" Nerin just shook his head. Who needed a last name on the streets? Hopefully, the doctor would just go away, and he would get to go find Lask and get out of here. But the doctor wasn't finished. "What about your parents?" The little boy shrugged. How should he know? They're the ones who left! "And the little boy that was with you?" Finally! They were getting to Lask. "My little brother, Lask." Nerin's answer was his longest yet, and he expected a response just as long. But the doctor just glanced at the nurse. "Now, Nerin…." A pause. "Lask….well….he didn't do very well." Eyes boring through the man's skull, Nerin let his face command him to continue. "I'm sorry, but your brother is dead."

After that, Nerin couldn't remember much. What was there to life? His brother, the reason for living, was dead. All that work, and Lask still died. And it was entirely Nerin's fault, at least in his eyes. The people that came to see him, they all said he could not have prevented it. But Nerin thought he could see it in their eyes. Even those smooth- talking men and women blamed him. Everything around him was crashing down around him. Like taking out the cornerstone of a building, and then realizing you didn't leave first. And the worst part was, Nerin completely recovered. The disease had killed Lask, yet Nerin survived untouched. Well, physically untouched. Mentally, he was devastated.

And people kept coming to talk to him. More and more people came in uniforms. Uniforms that were special. Fleet uniforms. If Nerin hadn't been in such a bad state of mind, he probably would have realized that they thought he was one of _those_ children. One of the ones that got sent up into space. The children that went to Battle School. But he didn't realize it until they asked him.

"Nerin?" The man at the door had been there before. He always had on his uniform- like it made him feel special. Nerin just nodded to show that he heard. After recognizing that he had seen this man before, he had gone back to reading the book he had been given. "Nerin, I'm here on behalf of the Fleet." At this, Nerin looked up. Plenty of people had come by to talk to him, but none of them had flat out said they were from the Fleet. Sure it had been obvious, but never stated. "Would you be willing to go to Battle School? We feel that you would do well there, and you would be well taken care of……" As the man continued his rehearsed speech, Nerin was given time to think. Did he want to go to Battle School? Did he want to train for war? Did he want to spend his entire life a soldier? "No," he said out loud, and resumed reading. The man looked directly at him, and Nerin could feel his gaze, though he was looking at the page. "There is one more thing I should tell you before you make up your mind. If you come with me, all your hospital bills will be paid off. And as I understand it, you owe a bit of money." Slowly, Nerin stood up and nodded. "Fine then."

It seemed no time before Nerin and numerous other kids were strapped into their seats, ready to go into outer space. The other passengers talked, trying to ease their own tension as well as get to know people. But Nerin, he sat. There was no need for him to talk. He had plenty enough to think about.

First on his mind: Lask. They had had a funeral for him. Only a few days before Nerin left. He was surprised. In his mind, rich people never did anything for poor people, and he and Lask were definitely poor. He guessed now he was working for rich people. But in that coffin was all of Nerin's brother. They didn't have any possessions, Nerin didn't have anything to remember him by. Even if he did, he doubted they would have let him take it. What did he have of Lask, his little brother, his inspiration for all of his life he could remember? Nothing.

Just then, inevitably, the boy next to him turned, curiosity finally getting the better of him. "Hey, I'm Ben. What's your name?"

Only one word came out of Nerin's mouth. "Lask." It was natural, considering that his mind was focused on him. But Nerin saw this as some kind of sign. Maybe he did have something remaining of his brother after all. With a little nod of his head, his mind was made up.

"Nice to meet you Lask," Ben said, and shook his hand. The boy who from that point refused to answer to anything other then Lask just smiled, the first smile on his face for a long time.


	3. Tyler

Tyler

Tyler hated the orphanage. Blank white walls, blank faces, or worse yet, pity. Pity. He didn't need anyone's pity. As soon as he could he would be out of there anyway.

Maybe someone would have adopted him. But Tyler wouldn't stick around to find out. As a four, then five, then six year old, odds were some gushy childless couple would come in, look at him, break down in tears, and rush him 'home'. Happily ever after. He could just see it. _Nope_ he would tell himself. _NOT happily ever after._ Wherever 'home' would be, he doubted it would be near the woods. And that was where he really wanted to be.

Sure, the orphanage was unbearably dull. But Tyler wasn't often _in_ the orphanage. Why should he be, with that tantalizing forest so close? Climbing the fence, he would run. As soon as he was surrounded by trees, he was safe. Safe to climb, run, jump. Safe to gaze up at the far off leaves at the very top of the trees. He could catch minnows, race after rabbits, try to imitate bird calls. He could go swimming in small creeks, swing around trees on 'borrowed' rope, and pick sweet tasting berries. Tyler loved the forest. It was a part of him, in a place of his heart rarely inhabited for a child so young.

But then the sun would go down. And Tyler would trudge back to the glaringly white orphanage. He would climb back over the fence. Then, after dinner, he would do whatever punishment he was given for running away. Again. Strangely enough, the punishments never stopped him, and the people at the orphanage didn't seem to care. They didn't care about much.

This day, though. This day was different. As he climbed down into the small yard, there was a stranger there. Some woman. She looked up as he approached. "Oh. Are you Tyler?" A sullen look on his face, Tyler nodded as he past her into the orphanage. If she was looking to adopt _him_, he was not going to seem like some nice little abandoned kid. "Not so fast" the woman continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I just need to talk to you. It shouldn't take long. Your dinner is out here too." Shrugging, Tyler walked over to the table. He could see his food there.

As he dug into his dinner, the woman started talking. "So, Tyler, do you like the woods?" He nodded. "And you go out there every day?" Another nod. "Do you get punished for leaving?" A grin this time, followed by "Yep". "Yet you keep leaving. "Yep."

Later that evening, one of the pity-faced people who worked there walked up to him as he mopped the floor- again. "Tyler. Aren't you excited! You actually get to leave tomorrow." His heart felt like it skipped a beat. "What?" "Sure." The lady seemed overjoyed to be the bearer or 'good' news. "That lady is picking you up tomorrow at eight in the morning. You better be here, too." Tyler's eyes widened with each word. "After all," she finished, "plenty of little boys would practically _kill_ to get into Battle School." _Wait a minute._ Tyler thought to himself. _Battle School? Isn't that in space?_


	4. The Club

Next chapter, but I have to take a break to say something:

Siren's Voice, thank you SO much! I was hoping someone would review. And there will be a pretty strong female char in later, along with some others. Probably about two chapters after this one. Anyway, thank you!

The Club

The blank metal walls seemed to glare at Tyler. _Five days_, he told himself. _Five days, and I'm already insane._ The five days he had been in the stupid Battle School had driven him crazy. Everything was just like the orphanage. The only difference, unfortunately, was that there was no escape. No fun little trips outdoors to the beautiful awaiting woods. Other then that, it seemed like everything reminded him of the 'happy' little place he grew up in. Tyler really thought he was going to go insane.

Lask wandered the hallway of his newfound 'home'. He had never had a home before. After this place, he was almost glad he had never had one. It had only taken these five days to determine it was not worth it. Not that he really had a choice. It was this or work the rest of his life paying of hospital debts. _Maybe things will get better,_ he told himself. _They said something about the Battle Room later today. Maybe I'll like that._ But he didn't really believe it. If there was one thing the streets had taught him, it was not to kid himself. And he was really kidding himself if he believed that.

Tyler got up off his bunk. Time for a walk. Maybe the 'fresh air' would clear his head. And better that then the first set of assignments he had. He hated school. One of the things he had missed often on his day trips. Sure, they had snagged him in for a few tests. Not much. _Although,_ he considered, making a face, _that's probably how they got me for this hunk of lifeless metal. One of those stupid tests I couldn't just blow off._ Not a pleasant thought.

Turning, Lask entered the room he and all the other Launchies shared. It was strange, to sleep in the same room every night. Something Lask knew with a horrible certainty that he would be getting used to. But as soon as he rounded the corner, he ran right into someone. One of the other Launchies. They both fell to the ground. Controlling his anger, Lask looked over. Which one was it? If they were an enemy, they would pay….

Tyler had just gotten off the bed and to the doorway when someone ran into him. He and the other boy, probably another Launchy, both fell to the ground. Jumping up, he looked at the other boy. One of his Launch. Which one was it? Tyler was horrible at names. "Sorry 'bout that." He said. "I'm Tyler."

Lask softened at the apology. This….Tyler didn't mean any harm. "No, 'was my fault. Sorry. Name's Lask." For some reason, he felt connected to this boy. He couldn't explain it. Almost like with the real Lask, only nowhere near as strong. They had never really met. But he felt like they were….friends? "You wanna go down to the game room?" The words were no sooner out of his mouth then he regretted saying them. Who was he kidding?

But the other boy just smiled. "Sure. Sounds like fun. Just going there myself anyway." He didn't say anything about it, but he too felt the bond, though it was different. To him, it felt similar to nature. To the way he had felt living under a canopy of branches. But it still clicked. It made sense, in the same way it didn't make any sense at all. _Maybe it will work out here after all. _He didn't know if he believed it, but it was worth a shot. Nothing else around here had been good for anything, and there was a first time for everything.

By the time the two boys got back to their bunks, they were friends. The entire idea of having a friend had startled them, seemed to go against their ways. But both shrugged it off. They were too…similar. Not in many ways, but both could tell the other was missing something desperately, and would do anything to get it back. It brought them together, and there was no questioning that.

As Tyler lay on his bunk doing assignments, a message popped up. From Lask. Knowing he wasn't the fastest typist, he got up and went to the other boy's bunk.

Lask looked up at him from where he was sitting and smiled. Yes, his idea had a chance. With Tyler, and maybe others, it could work. "So Tyler," he began slowly, "ever been in a club?"


End file.
